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The very thing that makes digital advertising so appealing is the same thing that has eroded its effectiveness.

Every company wants to target the person who is most interested in their product, and eliminate as much ‘waste’ as possible. In theory, it sounds perfectly sound…determine your target market, and zero down on it as much as possible.

However, after so many years of digital proliferation the results have not caught up to the expectation. Even with the most sophisticated forms of digital targeting such as behavioral targeting, re-targeting, and so on, digital advertising has not delivered the results it has promised.

Why is that?

The 5 reasons your digital targeting campaigns are not as effective as you expected them to be.

1 ) The consumer doesn’t know you. When marketers spend little to no time communicating with the consumer prior to the purchasing decision moment, they build no ‘top of mind’ awareness. Consumers generally migrate to brands they are more familiar with, or decide to purchase from a ‘new’ brand based on their perception. If they have no prior exposure, marketers have very little influence in that decision making process.

2) The consumer feels somewhat violated. At this point, most consumers realize when they are being retargeted, or are receiving emails because of a recent online search. While the ads may be relevant, no one likes to be ‘followed’. It can feel intrusive and push the consumer away.

3) The consumer knows what’s best for them. Consumer’s can ‘filter’ messages for themselves. Even if they don’t know what they want, consumers want to be able to make their own choices and act on messages they are exposed to accordingly. Even the best marketers don’t know what the consumers are thinking, or what they are planning for next. When marketers disregard the consumer at the ‘top of the funnel’, they may never get a chance to engage with them at the bottom of the funnel.

4) The consumer does not engage with your ads. Speaking of engagement, digital advertising remains the easiest form of media to dismiss. While there is no doubt the consumer sees the ads on their screens, making a real ‘impression’ or holding the viewers/listener’s attention, remains extremely difficult in the digital landscape.

5) The clutter from 1,000 other advertisers. Because digital is ‘cheap’, everybody does it. There is little credibility from digital advertising, and to stand out, requires much more effort than it would to stand out on traditional advertising mediums. Once a consumer gets bombarded with 100 emails for a new car, they tend to ignore all of them.

The answer: Keep a ‘tradigital’ approach that leverages traditional media to drive digital for maximum results. The traditional media will brand your company’s name and keep you to of mind. The messages will alert consumers of products and services you offer, even if they’re not currently in the market for them. When the consumer is ready or in the market, your brand will have a better chance to compete for their business.

The Best Tactics: Leverage traditional media to pull consumers in by offering free products or services, such as a consultation or coupon that does not expire. Asking consumers to sign up for informational newsletters, and other valuable resources are also great ways of building your funnel, and engaging the 98% of your audience that is currently not in the market for your products or services. This is where digital performs best.

The take-away: Over targeting with digital means you’re speaking to the consumer only when they’re ready to buy. If you haven’t made any effort to build a relationship prior to that point, you better hope that consumer is happy to make an impulse buy because that’s essentially your best chance at that point. Don’t let the digital divide keep you from properly building your consumer base and expanding your share of market.

I was driving around today, in a bit of a rush and found myself turning into the plaza at Palm Beach Lakes Blvd, and headed for the safety of Chick-Fil-A. Luckily for me, something caught my attention from the corner of my eye.

A Greek restaurant called “Your Greek Cousin”. Always in the mood for a real gyro I figured I’d give it a shot. The place was busy, but most people were already enjoying their meals. I walked up to the counter ordered a gyro and bottle water and paid about 8 bucks.

This is what they brought to my table!

Seconds later it looked like this:

Needless to say, it did not take long before this scrumptious creation was fully devoured! The few moments I looked up from my plate, I noticed everyone else enjoying their meals as well, with a nice mix of patrons in the clean and bright environment.

Very happy to find a genuine Greek restaurant close by, and can’t wait to go back and try some of their other dishes. Your Greek Cousin is located at 2060 Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard West Palm Beach, FL (561) 686-9126. They are open from 8am-8pm or visit their website at: http://www.yourgreekcousin.com/ and tell them New to Palm Beach sent ya! Also, be sure to ‘Like” their Facebook page for all current specials.

Ivan Alarcon’s 3rd location has just opened its doors to the public as of February 1st 2016 in Federal Market Place, Fort Lauderdale, FL.

This expansion to Ivan’s restaurant portfolio will include AGAVE TACO BAR, the newest interpretation of his Mexican concept. Known for his established locations in Davie East and Davie West that currently go by El Agave Azul, he is diving into the Fort Lauderdale scene to share authentic Mexican fare. Since opening El Agave Azul in 2010, the concept has evolved into a modern Mexican taqueria. AGAVE TACO BAR Fort Lauderdale and Doral locations will be a ‘hybrid’ partial-full-service version of the Agave concept. Whereas, the existing Davie locations will follow suit and transition to AGAVE TACO BAR in the future, these locations will remain ‘fast-casual’ versus ‘partial-full-service’.

Founder, Ivan Alarcon was born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico where he grew up learning family recipes in his Grandmother’s kitchen. These traditional Mexican flavors provided the foundation for the AGAVE TACO BAR brand. While staying true to his roots, Ivan created a concept rich in Mexican culture

THE MENU was developed over the course of Ivan’s life and travels, marrying both experiences and genuine flavors. The kitchen harnesses trends while maintaining an authentic appeal for those seeking true Mexican fare. AGAVE TACO BAR in Fort Lauderdale will serve signature items found in both Davie locations, such as; Tacos de Trompo (house specialty taco), Build Your Own, El Burrito Regio and Sopes del Jefe (a handcrafted corn cake with pork belly). The newest locations will introduce the BOTANAS Specialty section, offering seasonal customized items served to your table. Botanas will feature: Agave Ceviche, Alitas Asadas (grilled chicken wings) and Empanadas de Masa Azul (blue corn vegetarian empanadas). Dishes are made from scratch daily; complete with fresh produce, fifteen different meat choices and specialty items. AGAVE TACO BAR will exploit taste buds and share with its guest’s authentic- modern Mexican cuisine.

AGAVE TACO BAR was designed to evoke a sense of exploration without leaving town. You are greeted with a creative interior carefully selected to share the story and evolution of the concept. Where modern meets rustic, this location showcases handpicked pieces Ivan himself brought back from Monterrey, Mexico. From: hand- blown lanterns, vibrant tiles, lively draperies, and classic pottery to framed traditional Amate artwork. The rustic wooden booths, bistro-style tables, wall décor and edison light fixtures draw your eyes to the 30ft mural, that ignites an unforgettable dining experience. Guests will find clocks Ivan has set to Monterrey time and coordinates of his ‘Madre Patria’ (motherland) keeping his roots close. The custom quartz bar adds a new element to the Agave concept serving craft/draft beer, wine and margaritas.

Ivan Alarcon’s AGAVE TACO BAR invites guests to become entrenched in true modern-Mexican culture with an abundance of natural light and warm colors. This location provides a destination for guests to eat, drink and relax.

We here at New to Palm Beach do our best to support local businesses and to find interesting things to do and share with our audience. Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ve probably already participated in, or at least seen a ‘Paint and Sip’ event.

These events charge a small fee so that you can follow along the instructions of a professional artist and create your own painting. While there are several of these establishments in Palm Beach County, one of our favorites is UpTown Art right here in West Palm Beach (now also open in Boca and Jupiter).

The way it work is you visit their website to see their events calendar and decide which painting you want to paint: Click Here for Events Calendar. Click through, register and make payment, usually about $35. On the day of the event, arrive about 15 minutes early so you can get a good seat, grab your smock and plate of paints and your ready to go!

The class is always fun and the teachers are highly competent and easy going. The going gets easier as everyone is invited to bring their own choice of drink and snacks.

The best part is that whether you are a novice or an advanced painter you’ll come away with something you’ll be proud to hand up in your home. I’ve been there 5 times now, and my personal collection is starting to grow. I’ve received tons of compliments on my paintings, and prior to these classes I never painted on canvas before!

Not only does it make for a great date, but they have private rooms for birthday parties or groups for just about any occasion. So, what are you waiting for, go feed your inner Picasso and then post your master piece on our Facebook Page. For more information contact UpTown Art at: 561.899.3980
510 Evernia Street – West Palm Beach, FL 33401

I am very embarrassed to admit that after living in Boynton Beach for 8 years, I finally made it over to Hurricane Alley Raw Bar and Restaurant on the corner of Ocean and Dixie.

I’m not sure what took us so long, but every time we made our way over to the beach, and stopped at that traffic light, you couldn’t help but notice the tables outside the restaurant packed with patrons at just about any time of the day.

The first thing I did was go to www.LocalDines.com and purchased a $20 certificate for $10 bucks. It’s a great place to save on dining, especially when trying out a restaurant for the first time.

We parked across the street, and were able to get a table outside. The weather wasn’t great, but with the plastic wind guards down, we were sure to keep dry and comfortable. Our server quickly greeted us, brought us our drinks and we ordered Oysters Rockefeller. I’m told this place is known for it’s raw bar, but it’s just not in season and we don’t want to take any chances.

These babies came overflowing with creamy spinach and fresh parmessean cheese all over them. It was a warm and well blended taste that definitely woke up the appetite!

For entrees my wife ordered a Shrimp and Scallop special and I ordered the seared Tuna Ceaser Salad. Both plates had a good portion, and my salad was huge! The Tuna was fresh and perfectly cooked, and my wife’s shrimp and scallops were tender, juicy and also cooked just right.

With our $20 certificate, the whole meal came in under $50 and I thought well worth it. I’d like to come back again when the raw bar is in season and chow down on that! Overall it’s an eclectic type of neighborhood bar meets pretty awesome cooking with a very relaxed and laid back atmosphere, one we hope to frequent again soon.